The power of language
Feb 15, 2021
Continuing with our series on Reinventing Yourself, Steve Chandler emphasizes how important language is in the way we conceptualize "problems" or "challenges".
Here is how he puts it:
"Owners use the words ‘I can’ a lot, while victims favored ‘I can’t.’ Owners had goals, projects, and challenges, whereas victims had problems, hassles, and nightmares. Owners said they were busy, and victims said they were swamped. Owners were ‘designing a life,’ while victims were ‘trying to make a living.’ Owners were psyched and excited about changes in the workplace, while victims were worried and ticked off. Owners looked to see what they could get from an experience, while victims tried to get through it. Owners would plan things and victims would wish things".
In other words, people who take charge of their lives talk about the inevitable bumps of life as challenges to be faced and overcome as opposed to "problems and hassles" that plague them in their lives.
Research on resilience confirms the importance of how we language challenges. According to research of students taking exams, those who thought about the exam as a challenge ended up doing better than those who viewed the exam as a threat. With the same amount of intelligence and effort, it was the mindset towards the exam that ended up making the difference. The mindset of challenge (expressed through language in talking to themselves) released chemicals and hormones in their brains that helped them perform at their best.
Wow. Made me reflect on how many times I talk about the normal ups and downs of life as "nightmares". Yikes.
The good news is that just as we can learn a new language, we can learn to talk about obstacles as challenges rather than problems or hassles.
So, let’s begin noticing when we start thinking and talking like a victim and re-commit to mastering a new language a language that will help us face and rise above the inevitable challenges in life.
